Editor’s Note: On Friday, May 21, 2004, at 7:30 P.M., Ms.
Sankan Worhwinn Nyanseor, youngest daughter of Mr. Siahyonkron Nyanseor,
Chairman of the Liberian Democratic Future, publisher of The Perspective,
graduated with honors and distinctions from Tri-Cities High School in
Georgia. She was the recipient of several honors and awards: Honor Graduate
(88 average and above); National Honor Society; Beta Club; VPA Magnet;
TAG (Talented and Gifted); Senior of Distinction; Outstanding Senior
Science Award, Pepsi Cola Academic Award, Star Achievement of Excellence
Award and Old National Merchants Association Award (monetary award given
annually to Salutatorians and Valedictorians of high school students
in the South Fulton Community), PPG Industrial Foundation Community
Scholarship, Governor’s Scholarship and Georgia’s HOPE Grant.
The Commencement Exercise was held at Tri-Cities High School’s
Stadium, 2575 Harris Street, East Point, Georgia. This fall, Ms. Nyanseor
will attend Georgia Tech (majoring in Biochemistry). As the Valedictorian
of the Graduating Class of 2004, she spoke on “The Power of Free
Will and Our Freedom to Choose”. Find below the full text of her
speech:

Sankan Nyanseor

Madam Principal, Mrs. Amelia “Mimi” Davis, Members of the
Faculty, Fellow Graduates and Students, Our Parents, Family Members,
Friends and Well Wishers, Ladies and Gentlemen:

On behalf of the Tri-City High School graduating Class of 2004, I bring
you greetings.

First, I give thanks to the Almighty for making this day possible,
because if it wasn’t for His blessings, we could not have made
this journey successfully. And to our parents and teachers, we give
special thanks for putting up with us through it all. We realize it
was not an easy task to put up with our generation – especially
our MUSIC and style of dressing, the same way your parents did not understand
yours. But we applaud you anyway - because you served as good role models
for us on our journey to come this far . Therefore, in this public manner,
we say to you – we love you and highly appreciate all you have
done for us.

Fellow Graduates, my message to you this evening is on the topic: “The
Power of Free Will and Our Freedom to Choose.”

WILL
In philosophical discussion, WILL is usually paired with reason as one
of two complementary activities of the mind. WILL is considered the
faculty of choice and decision, whereas reason is that of deliberation
and argument. Thus a rational act would be an exercise of WILL performed
after due deliberation.

WILL has figured prominently in the thought of many philosophers, among
them the 19th-century thinkers Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Wilhelm
Nietzsche. Historically, debate has centered on the issue of WILL's
freedom, a question of prime importance for the analysis of human action
and moral responsibility.

Philosophers have often thought that persons are responsible only for
those actions that they have the option either to do or not to do or
to WILL or not to WILL.

In my opinion, the issue of free WILL is like so many great truths
– a paradox. On the one hand, free WILL is a reality. We can be
free to choose without conditioning or being forced to do so; while
on the other hand, we may not choose freedom. This paradox was best
expressed by Jesus Christ when he said, “Whosoever will save his
life shall lose it. And whosoever shall lose his life, for my sake,
shall find it. (Matthew 16:25) However, in reality there are only two
states of being: submission to God and goodness or the refusal to submit
to anything beyond one’s own will – and that refusal can
automatically enslave one to the forces of evil.

We must choose therefore, to do good or evil; choose to listen to our
parents and teachers or choose not to listen to them; choose to be a
good student or choose to be something less than a good student. These
are the choices we make as individuals. Remembering, too, that the choices
we make carry with them the consequences we have to live with.

To the graduating class of 2004, I say congratulations! Our day of
recognition has finally arrived. All of the late nights spent preparing
projects and research papers or cramming for tests to be given the next
day have finally paid off. We have reached this milestone in our lives,
thanks to the love, the guidance, and the support of our loved ones
and also because of our own free will. Free will is what allows us to
make our own choices and life is about making choices. Now whether those
choices are positive or negative is up to us.

I stand here before you today as Valedictorian of Tri-Cities High School
not because I am any smarter than the rest of you. I am here because
of the choices I have made throughout my high school experience, mainly,
the choice to excel in all of my classes even if it meant making some
sacrifices. Sometimes I had to choose to study rather than hanging out
with friends or picking up a book instead of watching TV. But you see,
I made these choices because I had a goal and goals are critical to
have in life. Dr. Benjamin Mays once said, “The tragedy of life
does not lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no
goal to reach.” My goal was to be the best in all of my classes
and that is the reason I am here today.

For you see, our capacity to choose changes constantly with the life
patterns we practice. The longer we make the wrong decisions, the more
difficult it is to make the right choices. The more we make the right
decisions, the easier it becomes to use good judgment. Each positive
choice we make in life increases our self-confidence, our integrity,
our courage, and our conviction. It also increases our capacity to choose
the desirable alternative, until eventually it becomes more difficult
for us to choose the undesirable action.

In life the degree of freedom to choose is different from moment to
moment. If the degree to choose the good is great, it needs less effort
to choose the good. If it is small, it takes a great effort, help from
others, and favorable circumstances in order to choose the good and
make right choices.

Most people fail in the art of living not because they are inherently
bad and cannot lead or refuse to lead a better life. They fail because
they do not wake up and see when they stand at a fork in the road and
have to decide which direction to go in. They are not aware when life
asks them a question, and they are unaware of the alternatives available
to them. Then with each step along the wrong road it becomes increasingly
difficult for them to admit that they are on the wrong road. Often because
they refused to admit that they have wasted energy and time, and will
not acknowledge that they are on the wrong path and continue to live
out a wrong decision.

This is a practical description of young people of my age – some
described us as the “digital” or “electronic”
generation. Unlike our parents, we are the most privileged of all generations.
Why? because knowledge is at our fingertips. We have the computer and
the Internet at our disposal. Yet, we are lacking the basic experience
of our grandparents, parents and teachers. We need to draw from their
experiences; this way, we might save ourselves some unnecessary experiences.

Life is made up of choices, not chances. It is up to us – not
to our parents to make the right choices for our lives. The great thing
in the world is not so much where we are but in what direction we choose
to go.

Once again, congratulations class of 2004! I wish you all the best of
luck in the future and never forget that with God, all things are possible.